what do you feed a praying mantis

What Do You Feed a Praying Mantis? A Complete Diet and Feeding Guide

If you're a new praying mantis owner or considering getting one as a pet, one of your first questions will be about nutrition. The question what do you feed a praying mantis is essential for keeping these fascinating predators healthy and thriving. Unlike many pets that can thrive on prepared foods, mantises require live prey—they're carnivorous hunters that need the stimulation and nutrition of catching their own food. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore everything you need to know about feeding mantises, from appropriate prey sizes for different life stages to feeding frequency, water requirements, and common mistakes to avoid.

Understanding what do you feed a praying mantis involves knowing not just which insects are suitable, but also how to offer them safely and how to recognize when your mantis is hungry versus preparing to molt. With the right knowledge, you can provide a diet that keeps your mantis healthy through all life stages. To deepen your understanding of mantis care and nutrition, we highly recommend downloading the Free Praying Mantis Home Care Guide PDF. And if you're ready to start your mantis-keeping journey, you can Get Free Praying Mantis (no shipping cost) and begin observing their fascinating feeding behaviors firsthand.

The Carnivorous Nature of Praying Mantises

Before diving into specific foods, it's important to understand that mantises are obligate carnivores—they must eat other animals to survive. According to the Free Praying Mantis Home Care Guide PDF, mantises are predators that feed exclusively on other insects and, in some cases, small vertebrates. They have no interest in plant matter and cannot digest vegetation.

This carnivorous lifestyle is reflected in their anatomy. Their front legs are specially adapted for grasping and holding prey, with sharp spines that dig into the victim's body and prevent escape. Their eyes provide excellent 3D vision for judging distances, and their lightning-fast strike can capture prey in milliseconds. When you ask what do you feed a praying mantis, you're essentially asking how to provide the hunting experience these insects are evolved for.

In the wild, mantises eat whatever they can catch—flies, moths, crickets, grasshoppers, and even other mantises. In captivity, your job is to provide appropriate live prey that meets their nutritional needs while also being safe and easy to obtain.

Feeding by Life Stage: Size Matters

The most important rule in answering what do you feed a praying mantis is that prey size must match the mantis's size. A prey item that's too large can injure or even kill your mantis, while prey that's too small may not provide adequate nutrition or may be ignored.

Newly Hatched Nymphs (L1-L2)

When mantises first hatch from their egg case (ootheca), they're incredibly tiny—often just a few millimeters long. At this stage, they need the smallest prey available. The ideal food for newly hatched nymphs is fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster or Drosophila hydei) . These tiny flies are the perfect size for first-instar nymphs and are readily available from pet stores or online suppliers.

You can also culture your own fruit flies at home using a simple setup with a banana peel in a jar with a small hole—the flies will enter but struggle to escape, providing easy prey . For the tiniest nymphs, flightless fruit flies are ideal because they can't escape and are easy for young mantises to catch.

Some keepers also use aphids collected from garden plants, though wild-caught prey carries some risk of pesticide exposure . Pinhead crickets (newly hatched crickets) are another option for slightly larger nymphs.

Growing Nymphs (L3-L6)

As your mantis grows through successive molts, its prey needs will increase. Mid-size nymphs can handle larger prey. Good options include:

Larger fruit flies (Drosophila hydei)
Houseflies (cultured or caught, though wild-caught carries risks)
Small crickets (appropriately sized for your mantis)
Waxworms (cut into pieces if necessary)
Small cockroaches (like red runner roaches or dubia roach nymphs)

The general rule is that prey should be no larger than the mantis's head or, for larger mantises, no longer than the length of its abdomen . If the prey is too large, the mantis may struggle to subdue it and could even be injured in the struggle.

Adult Mantises

Adult mantises can take the largest prey. Depending on your mantis species, adult food options include:

Crickets (appropriately sized)
Roaches (dubia roaches, red runners, etc.)
Moths (cultured or collected from safe sources)
Grasshoppers (smaller species)
Flies (bluebottle flies, greenbottle flies)
Mealworms (less ideal due to hard exoskeleton, but can be offered occasionally)

For very large mantis species like the Chinese mantis (Tenodera sinensis), which can reach 4-5 inches, adult females can even take small vertebrates like tiny lizards or frogs, though this is rarely offered in captivity and not recommended for most keepers.

Appropriate Prey Types: A Detailed List

To fully answer what do you feed a praying mantis, here's a comprehensive list of suitable prey items, from most recommended to least:

Excellent Choices

Fruit flies (Drosophila species): Perfect for nymphs, easy to culture at home .
Houseflies and blowflies: Excellent nutrition, appropriate for most mantis sizes .
Crickets: Widely available, good nutrition, but can sometimes harm mantises during molts if left in enclosure .
Roaches: Dubia roaches, red runner roaches, and other small roach species are nutritious and cannot climb smooth surfaces, making them easy to manage .
Moths: Good nutrition, but can be difficult to culture .
Grasshoppers and locusts: Excellent nutrition, but can be challenging to obtain in some areas .

Occasional Options

Waxworms: High in fat, should be offered sparingly as treats rather than staples .
Mealworms: Hard exoskeleton can be difficult to digest; remove heads if offering to smaller mantises .
Butterflies: Good nutrition but difficult to obtain consistently .
Spiders: Mantises will eat them, but collecting wild spiders carries risks .

Foods to Avoid

Wild-caught insects from pesticide-treated areas: Can poison your mantis .
Ants: Many species can fight back and injure mantises .
Prey with strong defensive capabilities: Large beetles, wasps, or stinging insects .
Dead or pre-killed prey: Most mantises won't recognize non-moving items as food .
Vertebrates: While some giant mantises occasionally eat small vertebrates in the wild, this is not recommended in captivity .

Feeding Frequency: How Often Should You Feed?

Knowing what do you feed a praying mantis also means knowing how often to offer food. Feeding frequency depends on the mantis's age, size, and reproductive status.

Nymphs

Young mantises grow rapidly and need frequent feeding. Nymphs should be fed every 1-2 days . They need the nutrition to fuel their growth and prepare for molts. A well-fed nymph will grow faster and have better success molting.

Adults

Adult mantises can be fed less frequently—typically every 2-4 days . Their growth is complete, so they need only enough food to maintain their body condition. Females that are producing eggs may need more frequent feeding to support egg development.

Signs of Hunger

A hungry mantis will actively hunt. You may notice it following movement with its head, tracking potential prey, and positioning itself for an ambush. Some mantises will even beg for food, stretching toward you when you open the enclosure. When you see these signs, it's time to offer food.

Signs of Fullness

A mantis that has eaten enough will often ignore additional prey. The abdomen will appear plump and rounded. Overfeeding can lead to obesity, which is dangerous—an overweight mantis can rupture its abdomen if it falls .

Before Molting

Mantises stop eating before molting. If your mantis refuses food and hangs upside down, it's likely preparing to shed its exoskeleton. Do not offer food during this vulnerable time—wait until after the molt and the new exoskeleton has hardened .

The Hunting Process: How Mantises Eat

Understanding what do you feed a praying mantis is enhanced by understanding how they eat. When you offer live prey, here's what happens:

Detection: The mantis spots the prey with its excellent 3D vision. It will track the movement, sometimes swaying slightly to blend in with vegetation .
Strike: When prey comes within range, the mantis strikes with lightning speed, grabbing it with its spiny front legs .
Securing the catch: The mantis holds the prey firmly, using its spines to prevent escape. It often immediately begins eating while the prey is still alive .
Consumption: Using its strong mandibles, the mantis chews through the prey's exoskeleton and consumes the soft tissues inside. It typically starts with the head or thorax, working its way through the body .
Cleanup: After finishing, the mantis will clean its front legs, wiping them against its mouthparts or on leaves. Leftover inedible parts (wings, legs, hard exoskeleton pieces) may be dropped.

This process can take anywhere from a few minutes for small prey to over an hour for large meals. During this time, the mantis is vulnerable and should not be disturbed.

Water and Hydration

A complete answer to what do you feed a praying mantis must include water. While mantises get some moisture from their prey, they also need access to drinking water.

Mantises do not drink from open water sources like bowls—they can drown in even shallow water. Instead, they drink water droplets from leaves, enclosure walls, and other surfaces .

To provide water:

Mist the enclosure daily with fresh, clean water. Use a spray bottle to create fine droplets on leaves and mesh .
Avoid large droplets that could drown small nymphs.
Observe drinking behavior: Your mantis may approach droplets and lower its head to drink.
Increase misting during molting periods: Proper humidity helps mantises shed their exoskeleton successfully .

Some keepers also use water gels designed for insects, though regular misting is usually sufficient.

Feeding Techniques: How to Offer Food

Knowing what do you feed a praying mantis is only half the battle—you also need to know how to offer it. Here are effective feeding techniques:

Free-Roaming Prey

The simplest method is to release prey directly into the mantis's enclosure. The mantis will hunt naturally when hungry. This works well for fast-moving prey like flies and crickets. However, uneaten prey can stress your mantis, especially during molting. Crickets, in particular, have been known to bite and injure molting mantises .

Tweezers Feeding

Many keepers use soft-tipped tweezers to offer prey directly to the mantis. This method has several advantages:

You can ensure the mantis actually eats
You can remove uneaten prey immediately
It reduces stress on the mantis
It allows you to offer prey to weak or injured mantises

To feed with tweezers, hold the prey near the mantis's front legs. The movement will trigger a strike. Once the mantis has grasped the prey, release it and let the mantis eat.

Removing Uneaten Prey

Always remove uneaten prey after 24 hours . Leftover prey can stress your mantis, compete with it for space, and potentially injure it during molting. This is especially important for crickets, which are known to attack vulnerable mantises .

Handling Prey

Some prey items may need preparation. For example, mealworms have hard heads that can be difficult for mantises to chew—some keepers remove the heads before offering them . Very large prey can be cut into pieces for smaller mantises, though mantises prefer to catch whole, moving prey.

Nutritional Considerations: Variety and Supplements

A balanced diet is important for mantis health. While answering what do you feed a praying mantis, consider nutritional variety as well.

Variety Matters

Just like humans, mantises benefit from a varied diet. Different prey items offer different nutritional profiles. Flies provide good protein, crickets offer variety in texture, and roaches are nutritious staples. Rotating prey types helps ensure your mantis gets all necessary nutrients .

Wild mantises eat whatever they can catch, which naturally provides variety. In captivity, try to offer at least 2-3 different prey types on a regular basis.

Gut-Loading Prey

Gut-loading means feeding nutritious food to prey insects before offering them to your mantis. This passes those nutrients on to your mantis. Crickets and roaches can be fed fresh vegetables, fruits, and commercial gut-load diets. A well-fed cricket is more nutritious than a hungry one .

Calcium and Vitamin Supplements

Some mantis keepers dust prey with calcium or vitamin supplements, especially for growing nymphs and egg-producing females. However, opinions vary on whether this is necessary. If you feed a varied diet of well-fed prey, supplements may not be required. If you choose to supplement, use products designed for reptiles or insects and dust lightly .

Feeding by Species: Special Considerations

The answer to what do you feed a praying mantis can vary slightly by species. Here are some species-specific notes:

Chinese Mantis (Tenodera sinensis)

These large mantises can take substantial prey. Adults will eagerly eat crickets, roaches, flies, and moths. They're robust eaters and generally easy to feed .

European Mantis (Mantis religiosa)

Slightly smaller than Chinese mantises, these still eat a similar range of prey. They're known for their distinctive "bull's-eye" marking and are generally good feeders .

Carolina Mantis (Stagmomantis carolina)

Smaller than the introduced species, Carolina mantises need appropriately sized prey. Adults can handle small crickets and flies, while nymphs need fruit flies .

Ghost Mantis (Phyllocrania paradoxa)

These smaller, delicate mantises from Africa need appropriately sized prey. They're known for their leaf-mimicking appearance and can be more selective eaters. Fruit flies for nymphs, small flies for adults .

Orchid Mantis (Hymenopus coronatus)

These beautiful mantises need flying prey like flies and moths. They're less interested in crawling prey like crickets and may refuse them .

For any mantis species, research its specific needs. The Free Praying Mantis Home Care Guide PDF includes species-specific feeding recommendations.

Common Feeding Mistakes to Avoid

Even experienced keepers can make mistakes. Here are common errors to avoid when learning what do you feed a praying mantis:

Prey too large: Can injure or kill your mantis. Always match prey size to mantis size .
Leaving prey in enclosure: Uneaten prey can stress mantises and attack them during molts .
Feeding during molting: Mantises won't eat before molting and offering food can disturb them .
Wild-caught prey from pesticide areas: Can poison your mantis .
Only one prey type: Leads to nutritional deficiencies over time .
Overfeeding: Can cause obesity and dangerous abdominal ruptures .
Underfeeding: Stunts growth and weakens the mantis .
Forgetting water: Mantises need regular misting for hydration .

What About Feeding Vertebrates?

You may have heard stories of mantises eating hummingbirds, lizards, or mice. While large mantises can occasionally take such prey in the wild, this is not recommended in captivity. Vertebrate prey can injure your mantis, may carry diseases, and is unnecessary for good nutrition .

Stick to insect prey. It's safer, more nutritious, and what mantises evolved to eat. The occasional report of a mantis eating a hummingbird in a garden is a rare event, not a dietary requirement.

Conclusion: Providing Optimal Nutrition for Your Mantis

So, what do you feed a praying mantis? The answer encompasses a range of live insects appropriately sized for your mantis's life stage. From fruit flies for tiny nymphs to crickets, roaches, and flies for adults, mantises thrive on a varied diet of live prey. Regular misting provides necessary hydration, and careful attention to feeding frequency prevents both underfeeding and obesity .

Remember these key points:

Always feed live prey—mantises won't eat dead insects .
Match prey size to mantis size—never offer prey larger than your mantis can handle .
Feed nymphs every 1-2 days, adults every 2-4 days .
Remove uneaten prey after 24 hours .
Mist daily for hydration .
Offer variety for balanced nutrition .
Stop feeding when your mantis is preparing to molt .

With proper feeding, your mantis will grow, molt successfully, and live a healthy life. The reward is the opportunity to observe one of nature's most fascinating predators in action—watching that lightning-fast strike, the careful consumption of prey, and the satisfying sight of a full, healthy mantis cleaning its raptorial forelegs after a meal.

We hope this guide has answered your questions about mantis feeding and nutrition. To continue learning about mantis care, we invite you to download the Free Praying Mantis Home Care Guide PDF today. It's packed with expert information on all aspects of mantis keeping, from housing and feeding to health and breeding. And if you're ready to start your mantis-keeping journey, click here to Get Free Praying Mantis (no shipping cost) and begin observing these incredible predators in your own home. Your mantis—and your curiosity—will thank you.